MORGAN: Tough jobs, decisions in Rutherford County

10:32 PM,
Aug. 17, 2013

Written by

Clay Morgan

When I was 19 years old, I began to formulate an opinion. I wasn't going to grow up to be a firefighter.

This was during Coast Guard boot camp, and each recruit spends a week in firefighter training. A few months later I'm reinforcing my decision. I'm a young seaman apprentice serving on the Coast Guard Cutter Red Cedar, a buoy tender. I'm back at a more advanced firefighting school in Norfolk, Va., and it was hot, stressful and exhausting. The equipment was heavy, and I couldn't see a darned thing. And that was in a controlled environment.